Friday, November 30, 2012

Yes, another cop has been caught by a camera phone. When will we ever learn.

This is NYPD Officer Lawrence DePrimo who came across this homeless man with no shoes. Officer DePrimo spoke with the man and learned his shoe size. He went down the street to the Sketchers store and bought the man a pair of all-weather boots and two pair of wool socks. When he returned and gave the man the shoes, his photo was taken by a tourist from Arizona.

My boys would add, "ya we know, 5 miles, up hill both ways, in the snow, temps below zero."

Truth be known, I did walk to elementary school in the snow with temps below zero, sometimes 40 below zero, but it was only about 6 blocks. I lived in the Northern Minnesota town of Virginia, which is about 100 miles from the Canadian border. I would wear long underwear, pants, snow pants and a parka, with a scarf over my face, and rubber boots over my shoes. The moisture from my breath would freeze on the scarf. When we got to school we would hang all those clothes in the cloak room and it would smell in there from all the wet wool clothing. Then we would get dressed again and walk home for lunch, returning to school an hour or so later.

I was used to the cold then, and of course a kid. I ice skated and built snow forts. The two lakes in town would freeze solid and we would skate and play hockey. There was a little shack with a stove on the ice where we could go in and warm up. Got hit square in the mouth with a hockey puck once. Fisherman would drive their trucks out on the lake with little structors and ice fish.

Monday, November 26, 2012

The photo on my header was taken by my son-in-law, Bruce, on a recent trip to the wine country in Central California. It was such a nice photo, I thought I would steal it for awhile. Thanks Bruce. Great photo!!!

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Last night I found myself watching the movie "American Graffiti." It brought back some great memories of cruising and listening to music. Phil, Steve, and I used to cruise a drive-in similar to Mel's that was located at Foothill Blvd. and Garey Ave.

This is "All Summer Long" by the Beach Boys and the closing song of the movie showing "Curt" played by a young Richard Dreyfuss, leaving for college and saying goodbye to his family including his sister "Laurie" played by Cindy Williams and his friend "Steve" played by Ron Howard.

The movie also had a very young Harrison Ford, Mackenzie Phillips and Suzanne Summers as "the blonde in the T-bird." I'll have to put this song on my IPod for awhile.

Lost in all the Thanksgiving celebraion, yesterday was the 49th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. I remember being home sick when the television was interrupted to announce the shooting.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

The original Thanksgiving Festival was held in Plymouth, Mass. in October or November of 1621. In attendance were about 50 Pilgrims, English Separatists who ca
me over on the Mayflower, and about 100 Wampanoag Indians, or Native Americans.

The festival was to give thanks to God for their first successful harvest. The Wampanoag People were invited because it was only thru their help and hospitality that they were still there, having lost many of their original number during the winter of 1620.
The festival lasted three days and is said to have involved lots of beer drinking, a favorite beverage of the Pilgrims. The festival also included deer, sea food, lots of vegetables like corn and squash, various nuts, and of course turkey and other local foul. The Pilgrims are said to have shot off a cannon in celebration which led to the arrival of 100 more local Native Americans, who thought the Wampanoag were under attack. They were invited to stay and celebrate as well. Just so you know.